The Academy of Yoga and Oriental Studies (AYOS) organised a lecture on “AIDS and Indian Culture” here on Saturday with Dr Indulata Das being the speaker on the subject. The meeting was presided over by eminent scholar S Sundar Rajan. AYOS member Bhaskar Chandra Pattnaik welcomed the guests and the audience.
Dr Indulata Das said AIDS and HIV are the two words which are playing havoc in the whole world. AIDS originally was not a disease of the human being. The virus which causes AIDS is called HIV, which came to human being from the African monkeys. AIDS, she said, passes through three stages. The first stage is called “acute infection” or “primary HIV”, in which there is an influenza-like illness. There is inflammation of throat, fever, headache, vomiting, nausea and muscular pain, etc. Invariably, this illness is misdiagnosed as common cold.
The second stage is called “clinical latency” and is the most dangerous one having no symptom at all. The usual duration of this stage is from three to twenty years. Then, there is the last stage which is called AIDS. The patient suffers from infections of the brain, eyes, lungs, skin, stomach, intestine, other opportunistic infections, various cancers and diverse psychiatric and neurological problems. There may be heavy loss of weight, prolonged fever and diarrhoea.
There are four main routes through which HIV is transmitted from one person to another, viz., sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, from mother to child and through hypodermic needle. HIV cannot be transmitted by saliva, tears, mosquitoes, by using same cloths, by shaking hands, etc. The most dangerous thing about AIDS is that it is a stigma. According to official record, 36 million people have died since it was detected in 1981 and as many people are under the shadow of AIDS.
Dr Das was of the view that adherence to Indian culture can play a big role in preventing AIDS. Indian culture is a culture of control, restriction and discipline. Restricted sexual activities, sex only after marriage and within marriage are great helps in checking the deadly syndrome. In Indian culture, tremendous importance is attached on Brahmacharya, which is considered by Indian indigenous medical system Ayurveda to be one of the three supports of life, the other two being food and sleep. Brahmacharya is also considered to be the first step of yoga without which no real progress in yoga is possible.
About sex education in the schools, she said it is a suicidal idea. Adolescence is a very important phase of life. It should be properly guided by the practice of Brahmacharya. Therefore, instead of sex education, “Education of Brahmacharya” should be imparted in schools.